Lean on Me
by jazzprincess
Summary: What happens when Lorelai gets hurt right before the Bracbridge Dinner? Luke and Lorelai get to spend more time together. What will they find? JavaJunkie L&L.
1. Chap1 Running In Circles

**Hey everyone! This is my first fanfic. so be nice, but reviews are greatly appreciated! I can only give you what you want if you tell me what that is! Disclaimer:If only, if only, if only!**

**Lorelai gets into some trouble right before the Bracebridge dinner in season two, and Luke comes to her rescue! Nice, slow way of getting them together so they can both admit they like each other!**

**Enjoy!**

**--------------------------------------------Running in Circles-----------------------------------**

Luke looked up as the bell rang, signaling the arrival of a new costumer. He smiled to himself as his hopes were confirmed and Lorelai sat down at the counter. She appeared to be frustrated, so Luke set a mug down in front of her without being asked.

"You OK?" he asked as he poured her coffee.

"What? Oh, yeah I'm fine. Just a little distracted. Sorry." She smiled at him before grabbing her cup. "Oh thank god! Life, mmmmm, come to me." She sighed as she took a big gulp, closing her eyes in contentment.

"Feel better?" Luke asked. She nodded in reply, never opening her eyes. "What's got you so busy anyway?"

"Oh, we have that big Bracebridge dinner at the Inn coming up this Saturday, and Sookie is running around franticly trying to come up with the perfect courses. She's already changed her mind twice, plus she has to find a way to convince Jackson the be our squire."

"Good luck with that. You wouldn't be able to get me into any of those stupid outfits; they have to wear tights too, don't they?"

"Yes, but don't say anything to Jackson. I think Sookie's almost won him over. Anyway, on top of all that, we have to teach the staff proper phrases for the theme - Michel's not helping in that department, but Kirk seems to have taken it upon himself to stay in character for the next few days to prepare."

"That sounds like Kirk. Wait, he isn't going to 'stay in character' by wearing one of those outfits is he?"

"You never know with Kirk. But for the whole town's sake, let's hope he doesn't!"

"I'll second that!"

Lorelai dropped her head into her hands. "I just have a million things that need to get done before Saturday, and I keep getting this feeling that if I stop for just a second that something will happen and the whole thing will be a disaster!" With that she dropped her heard onto the counter.

"It'll be fine, it always ends up fine." Luke said very matter-of-factly. "You've done this before, right? And every time you outdo yourself, then crash the next day. Take your time and relax; everything will be fine."

"You lie," Lorelai picked her head up. "I have to go. If I stop, the earth itself may very well stop spinning too!" She moaned as she slowly got off her stool.

"Just relax, and no more coffee for the day."

"Ok fine. I'll try and slow down, but when this whole thing gets ruined because I don't get everything done, I'm blaming you my friend." she said, pointing her finger at Luke.

"It's _going_ to get done. Now go and relax."

Lorelai stuck her tongue out at Luke before walking out the door.

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**Sorry it's short, but I wanted to set the story up first. Next chapter will begin the main theme, so stick with me!**

**How about that episode Tuesday night! Finally, someone is getting through to Rory! I'm glad it was Jess, I really like him. And next week Rory and Lorelai will start to make up! I'm so happy, they were turning it into to much of a drama show for me. Let's get back to being funny, that was the best part. And Luke and Lorelai can now set a date - they are so perfect for each other! I love that they're getting married!**

**Please R&R!**


	2. Chap2 All Your Fault

**Thanks for all the positive reviews! They are very encouraging! To Luke'sGirl & Lauren - See, I told you I'd be back soon! Now that I've finally started this story, it's all coming to me in a rush, but I'll try and pace myself! Hope you like the next chapter!**

_OK relax. I can do that. Relax, oh that reminds me – I should but some scented candles in the Inn's rooms to make the guests more relaxed. No! Stop! I'm supposed to be relaxing! Luke was right; I really need to slow down._

Lorelai took a deep breath. She stopped and looked at the winter wonderland around her. Lorelai slowly smiled to herself.

_I love the snow! Luke really was right – how can anything go wrong when everything is so perfect!_

With that, she started to walk confidently down the street.

All Your Fault

The next day, Luke was wiping down the counter when he looked up just in time to see Lorelai walking by. Assuming that she was coming in for coffee, Luke started to turn to get a mug. But before he had turn completely around he saw Lorelai disappear under the window. He raised his eyebrows, wondering what crazy thing she was doing now. Then he heard a cry form outside. Luke ran outside to find Lorelai lying on the ground.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm lying here in excruciating pain!" she screamed. That's when Luke noticed that her leg was in a funny angle. "Now would you help me up please!" she demanded.

"Oh man! That looks bad!" Luke said with wide eyes.

"Ya think? Can you please help me up already? The pain is spreading, OW!"

Luke quickly bent over and picked Lorelai up very carefully. She grimaced when her leg moved, and wrapped her arms around Luke's neck.

"OK, I'm taking you to the hospital right now. Caesar!" he yelled. The cook popped his head out of the dinner door. "Take over; I've got to take Lorelai to the hospital. Call Lane if you need help."

"Right boss. Feel better Lorelai!"

Luke quickly carried Lorelai over to his truck and gently placed her in the passenger seat.

"OW! Luke, please be careful. Those bumps hurt!" Lorelai was clutching the seat arm with her leg propped up on the dashboard.

"Sorry." Luke slowed down.

After a few seconds Lorelai said, "Luke, hurry up! My leg is starting to go numb here, and you're driving slower than that grandma who just past us."

Luke sighed as he said, "Lorelai, you just told me to slow down, and now you're telling me to speed up. Decide what you want me to do, and I'll do it."

"Fine drive fast, but be careful around potholes!" Lorelai closed her eyes and leaned her head back. "Luke?"

"Yeah."

"Do you think my leg is broken?"

Luke glanced over at her leg. "Most likely. You're probably going to need a cast for a while."

"I knew it. I _knew_ something bad was going to happen; I could just feel it! And I'll have _you_ know that this is all your fault!"

"What!" Luke looked over at her. "How on earth is it my fault!"

"You were the one who told me to slow down and relax, and that's what I was doing. I was enjoying the snow and the scenery when I slipped."

"That doesn't make it my fault! At the pace you were going, you were likely to wipe out of some ice anyway, and I'm sure those heels of yours didn't help. That's why I told you to slow down in the first place."

"Well a lot of good that did. Uh, what am I going to do now! The Bracebridge dinner is _tomorrow_, and I'm probably going to be hobbling around on crutches. This is just great!" And Lorelai covered her face with her hands.

"Let's just go to the hospital and see what the doctor says OK? You have an excellent staff and lots of friends to help you out. Things will turn out fine, even if they aren't the way you planned them" Luke turned and smiled at her. Lorelai gave a weak smile in return.

That night, Luke helped Lorelai into the diner with her leg in a cast from ankle to just below the knee.

Lorelai dropped down onto a chair and put her leg up on the one opposite her. "Hey Luke, get me some fries, a burger, and coffee please. I'm exhausted!"

"You know, just because you're hurt doesn't mean you get special treatment or anything." Of course, he said this as he went to fulfill her request.

"The thought never even crossed my mind. How dare you accuse me of using my injury to my advantage! Oh, and get the ketchup while you're up!" Luke gave her a look, and she just smiled back at him. "Besides," she said as she started to eat her fries, "it's your job to take care of me now. After all, it is your fault that I'm on these crutches."

"It is not my fault" Luke replied. "But I'll be happy to help in any way I can." He smiled at her.

_Wow! He really does have a great smile._ Lorelai smiled back, then looked down at her food as she realized that she had started to blush._ And hey, would it be that bad getting to spend more time with Luke? At least I know I'll never get bored with teasing him. Hm, I could use this to my advantage after all!_

Lorelai looked back up to see Luke still smiling at her. "Well," she said, "you can start helping by wrapping up this food and driving me home. I feel in the mode for some movies. After all, what's the point of being hurt if you can't eat lots of junk and watch TV?"

Luke shook his head and started to packing up the food.

"And you'll have to stay and watch the movies with me. Rory is staying over at Lane's, and even though she wanted to stay with me, guilty conscience that she has, I insisted that she go. So I'll need someone to get the food out of the kitchen and change the tapes when they're over." She gave him a mischievous smile.

"OK; I need a night off. Just as long we don't have to consume as much as Rory and you normally do. Or watch any of those stupid movies you talk about, like that Wonka factory one."

"Hey, don't make fun of Willie Wonka. The man was brilliant; Rory come up with many of fun concoctions by watching him!"

"Good to know, but I'm still not watching it."

"Fine, I'll come up with something. From what I've seen, you know every little about the classic movies out there. We have to educated me."

Luke rolled his eyes. "God help me."

Lorelai smiled and then said, "Come on lets go! By the time it will take me to get to your truck, we could have watched an entire movie already."

Luke held the door open for her and then followed her out, locking the door behind him.

**Well there's the next chapter! I won't be able to update that quickly all the time; today I had off from school. Anyway, hope you liked it. I can't wait for next week's episode! Please R&R!**


	3. Chap3 Attending To My Every Need

**Hey everybody, I'm back! I've got one more chapter for you, and another closely following. **

**Disclaimer-once again: if only, if only, if only!**

**-----------------------------------------Attending To My Every Need-----------------------------**

Luke handed Lorelai a bag of chips before going back into the kitchen. She propped her leg up on the coffee table in front of her. Lorelai turned on the TV and began flipping through the channels. Luke came back in with a car of Coke and an Aleve.

"What's that for?" Lorelai asked as Luke handed the items to her.

"It's to help with your leg. The doctor mentioned that the painkillers he gave you would be wearing off around this time. Might as well take it now so it can start working right away."

"Aw, looking out for my well being?" Lorelai said in a sarcastic voice. "Or are you just making sure your biggest costumer doesn't die because of the intense pain she's under."

"You are not going to die." Luke replied, "Now what movie do you want to watch?"

"Oh choices, choices, choices! Um, let's see. Ooo, how about we start with Casablanca, a nice classic, and then go onto The Shining, another classic but much scarier! I feel in the mood for screaming!"

"OK, but no talking through the entire thing. I've heard you do that at the Stars Hollow Movie Night, and I've never seen Casablanca so . . ."

"_What!_" Lorelai interrupted. "You mean you have never seen Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman trying to escape the Germans in Paris!"

"No, I can't say I have." Luke replied, picking up the tape and inserting it into the VCR.

"Well then, sit down, lean back, and enjoy my friend!"

Luke sat down next to her as she pressed Play. As the opening logo flashed up, they both got comfortable.

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An hour and forty minutes later, the credits ended and the TV screen turned fuzzy, but neither noticed. Sometime during the movie, Lorelai had complained that the table was hurting her foot so she switched it to the couch. This required her to turn at an angle, so kept moving around trying to get comfortable. Luke finally got annoyed so he told her "Lean on me." and Lorelai quickly made Luke her human pillow. As the movie continued, Luke had unknowingly put his arm around Lorelai to make her more comfortable.

Maybe it was because she had such a long day, or maybe because of the painkillers, but Lorelai fell sound asleep towards the end of the movie. Luke was content to just hold her until he too fell asleep.

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The next morning, Luke was half lying on the couch with Lorelai on her back on top of him. His left arm was draped around her, with her left arm on his. Her right arm was above her head, her hand resting on his shoulder.

Luke woke up around 5:30 and looked down to see Lorelai sleeping peacefully. He smiled before carefully lifting her off him and setting her on the couch. He covered her with a blanket and watched as she burrowed into it. He grinned, walking into the kitchen to get her a glass of water and another Aleve, and set it on the table next to her. He quickly scribbled a note before heading out the door to open the diner.

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Lorelai smiled as she slowly woke up. She still had that sense of being safe that she had felt as she fell asleep last night in Luke's arms. At the thought of Luke, her eyes snapped open. She looked around before finding the water, pill, and note. Her smile widened at his thoughtfulness. She picked up the note.

Lorelai,

Sorry we couldn't watch your second movie. Guess you took that painkiller a little too soon! Anyway, I had to get up early to open the diner, and to avoid Patty asking why I was out all night. Maybe we can watch the 2nd movie another time. Come by the diner, but if you need any help give me a call.

Luke

Lorelai gave a mischievous grin as she hopped upstairs to get dressed. When she came down she plopped onto the couch and picked up the phone.

"Luke's"

"Hey, its my MIA rescuer!"

"Yeah, sorry I left without saying anything, but I didn't want to wake you up that early for fear of my life."

"Smart man. So does you offer still stand to pick me up?"

"Sure, I'll be right over."

"Thanks ever so much! See you soon."

Fifteen minutes later Lorelai was happily drinking her coffee and eating some pancakes in the diner. After she was done, Lorelai waved Luke over.

"OK," she said, getting up, "to the Inn. I have some last minute things to check up on, and Sookie called earlier sounding upset."

"What are you talking about?" Luke asked as Lorelai crutched to the door. "Wait, come back here! What do you mean _To the Inn_?"

Lorelai gave him an innocent smile. "You don't expect me to hobble all the way over there, do you?"

"No but . . ." he replied in an exasperated tone. Pausing, he let out a sigh. "Fine, Caesar! I've got to run out. Take over for a while." Luke grabbed a coat before following a triumphant Lorelai out the door.

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Later that day, Lorelai and Sookie were eagerly creating their "Plan B" for the Bracebridge dinner. After the snowstorm forced the Trelling Paper Company group to cancel, they had decided to invite the entire town over instead. Luke had left Lorelai in Sookie's care, but Lorelai was starting to get hungry. She picked up the phone.

"Luke's"

"I'm hungry!"

"Lorelai?" Luke questioned in an annoyed voice.

"Yes, I'm hungry!" she said teasingly.

"And what exactly do you want me to do about that?"

"Well," she replied slowly, "I want you to come over here to get me and bring me to the diner so I can eat!"

"Lorelai, I am not your personal driver. And you have all that food at the Inn, why don't you just eat there?"

"I think these painkillers are messing with my brain or something, I don't know, but I'm craving your hamburgers and fries. Please!"

"Ok" he said, wondering how she always did it.

"Yes! Get the pie and hot chocolate ready cause here I come!"


	4. Chap4 Under The Mistletoe

**Hey everyone! Sorry for the extremely long delay, but school has been so hectic. Luckily I had time over break to write this next chapter for your enjoyment.**

**A/N: Emily and Richard appear in this chapter, but the whole retirement thing isn't going on just yet. The Friday night dinner before the big dinner didn't happen because Lorelai was too busy planning.**

**Disclaimer: I wish! Maybe one day if I become very rich, but still highly unlikely!**

Under the Mistletoe

The night of the dinner, Lorelai was upstairs getting ready. Dressed, she stood surrounded by piles of clothes looking through her jewelry box. She called downstairs:

"Rory! Have you seen that necklace?"

"Which one?"

"That one . . . the one that's shiny and blue . . ."

"The one with the beads?"

"Yes that one! I think it'll go perfectly with my lovely cast." She looked down at her leg in disgust.

"Yeah, here it is." Rory said, bringing it up to her. "Wow Mom, now don't you look nice."

"Aw thanks, but sucking up to mommy won't get you out of clean-up duty!" She put some earrings in before announcing that she was finally done. "OK Rory, Luke will be here any minute." Lorelai had been able to con Luke into giving them a ride over to the Inn early to help set up. "Let's go!"

Rory was looking at the seating arrangements for the evening. "Look here – you've got yourself sitting next to Luke."

"Yeah, so?" Lorelai said, turning away and fiddling with her scarf.

"Any particular reason for that?" Rory said in a teasing voice.

"Yes, he is now my personal slave and I must have him by me at all times to do my bidding!' Lorelai said in an evil, all-powerful tone.

"Right, I see. And, oh yes, when is he coming to pick us up again?" she said pointedly.

Right then the doorbell rang. Rory grinned wickedly before running to open the door, exclaiming, "Perfect timing!"

"Hey Rory." Luke said. As Lorelai walked around the corner his eyes widened. "Wow, you look . . . amazing."

"Why thank you kind sir." Lorelai replied in a southern accent. "I might even start a new fashion trend!" She said, pointing to her cast.

"Where's Jess?" Rory asked.

"Oh, he's out in the car." Luke answered.

"Well then we better get going." Lorelai said, grabbing her purse and crutches. "Shotgun!"

Later at the Inn, Rory and Lorelai were greeting guests when the elder Gilmores arrived. When Lorelai had called her parents to invite them to the dinner, she had mentioned that she "hurt her leg a little", but had neglected to tell them that it was broken and in a cast.

"Are you sure it was a good idea no to tell them?" Rory asked before her grandparents saw them.

Lorelai leaned over and whispered, "Fancy dinner – _way_ too much money. Trip to the hospital – paid through pain. Seeing my mother's reaction …" Emily finally turned and saw them "… priceless!"

"Lorelai, what happened!" Emily exclaimed.

"I told you Mom, I hurt my leg. It'll be fine."

"You never told me it was in a cast!"

"I didn't? Oh must have slipped my mind. Well now you know."

"Why didn't you tell me!"

"Mom it just happened, and I've had a lot going on. Anyway, it's no big deal. Luke's been helping out."

"Your mother is right Lorelai." Richard stated. "You shouldn't have downplayed something like this."

"Sorry, I know Dad."

"Wait a minute," Emily said, "is this the same man who helped you find that chick of yours, that Luke?"

"Yes Mom." Lorelai replied in an exasperated voice. "Now you and Dad are in Room 12."

"This man seems to help you out an awful lot." Emily said slyly.

"See you at dinner!" Lorelai said, putting the key into her hand. Emily and Richard walked off.

"Told you, Grandma sees it too." Rory said matter-of-factly, before heading over to see Dean.

The Bracebridge group had also arranged for horse-drawn sleighs to take the guests through the town before dinner. Lorelai informed an excited crowd that they would still be able to take part in this, so everyone raced outside to pair off and bundle up.

Lorelai had situated herself in a sleigh when she spotted Luke walking around. "Hey, you by the horse!" she called; he turned to her. "Yeah you, come here."

"What do you need?"

"Someone to ride with me. Come on, hop in!"

"You know, this isn't really my thing …"

"Please Luke, I don't want to ride alone."

"OK, fine." He said, getting in.

She smiled and spread the blanket out, calling "Giddy-up!"

The sleigh slid through Stars Hollow, the sky clear overhead and the stars twinkling down at them.

"Man, the town looks so beautiful this time of year." Lorelai said. "Just like a fairy-tale land."

"And are you the princess in the fairy world?" Luke asked sarcastically.

"Oh, of course! Ooo and Taylor can be the mean ogre; Babette and Miss Patty can be the …" Lorelai proceeded to describe everyone in a childish voice, placing them in a position in her wonder world. "… and Rory will be my fairy!"

"Who's your Prince Charming?" Luke inquired.

"Oh, no prince for me."

"Really!" he said, grinning.

"No way, princes are _way_ too boring." Lorelai stated. "No, I'll have a knight in shining armor, one who constantly comes to my rescue!" She smiled over at him, and his grin widened.

"I wonder who that could be!"

"Well you did save me from that mean, icy sidewalk." she said dramatically.

"You really should be in Miss Patty's next play." he said, and Lorelai laughed.

They sat in silence for a while before Lorelai began to move around to find a more comfortable position for her cast.

Just like the other night, Luke turned to her and said, "Here you can lean on me." Lorelai smiled and obliged, Luke putting his arm around her. She looked up at him, and once again Luke found himself mesmerized by her smile.

"Thank you." she said softly.

"For what?"

"For always being that person in my life that I can lean on."

He smiled back at her. "No problem."

Lorelai sighed contently, looking around. "This season is truly magical. It's so perfect at Christmas, almost surreal you know? Like nothing bad can happen for a short period of time. It's like a movie – Miracle on 34th Street or something."

She sighed again. "I can't wait for Christmas! On top of all the snow you have presents, food … and great winter clothing, of course!" He gave her a look and she laughed.

Luke reached into his pocket. "Speaking of presents, how about getting one early?"

Lorelai grinned, her eyes lighting up. "Really!"

Luke handed her a small box. "Sorry it's not wrapped, but it was kinda last minute."

Lorelai glanced at him again before opening the box. She gasped, for inside was a beautiful silver necklace with a snowflake charm on it.

"Oh my go, Luke, this is breathtaking!" She looked up at him with wide eyes, her mouth slightly open in a shocked expression. "Why on earth did you get me such an amazing gift? I mean, you usually give me something nice, but nothing like this!"

"Well, I guess I just felt bad because you broke your leg and everything, I don't know. I just felt like a good reason to give you something special."

Lorelai took off her current necklace and handed the new one to Luke, saying "Well then, would you do the honors?" She turned lifting her hair away. Luke slipped the necklace around Lorelai's neck, who turned and looked down at it.

"Thank you. It's wonderful!"

"Yeah well, I know about you and your snow thing. It seemed appropriate to get you something snow-related for Christmas."

"You're right; snow really is my thing. Some of the best moments of my life have happened when it snowed – my best birthday …"

"I've heard the stories."

"… Rory's first steps …"

"I've heard the stories."

"… and now this awesome sleigh ride with you, plus getting this fabulous necklace!" She grinned up at him, and he smiled down at her.

All of the sudden, the sleigh stopped in front of the Inn. "Oh, it's over already?" Lorelai said, disappointed that the moment couldn't last longer.

"Yeah, looks like we've the first ones back though." Luke climbed out before offering Lorelai his hand. "Here, I'll help you out."

Lorelai clumsily tried to get out, but fell when her cast slipped on the ice. Luckily, Luke was able to catch her before she went down.

"I know you love snow," he said, steadying her, "but it doesn't appear as though ice likes you very much." Lorelai laughed out loud. Luke smiled to himself, glad that he had made her laugh.

As she laughed, Lorelai looked up at Luke and realized that they were standing in the entryway of the Inn. Luke saw a funny look in her eyes all of the sudden. He followed her gaze above his head – and saw some mistletoe hanging over the door. He looked hesitantly back at Lorelai, and she gave him a shy smile.

"Well would you look at that!" Lorelai said, trying to come up with something witty to say so that things didn't get uncomfortable. "I completely forgot that Sookie put that there. She's such a romantic."

"Yeah." Luke replied nervously.

Lorelai glanced back at him, grinning devilishly. "You know Luke, it's against the rules of Christmas not to kiss someone under the mistletoe. I've heard it gives you bad luck for a year."

"Lorelai!" Luke said, obviously not taking her myth seriously.

"It's true! Now Luke, you don't want to give me bad luck, do you?"

"Well no, but …" He made the mistake of looking into her eyes right then. Before his mind took control again, Luke leaned down and gave Lorelai a gentle kiss.

Almost surprised, she looked at him, completely still for a minute, and Luke's heart began to beat faster. But then she smiled, before slowly meeting his lips again in the softest kiss ever. Her arms went around his neck, his around her waist, as Lorelai once again leaned on Luke.

When the kiss broke, both smiling, Lorelai glanced to the side. "Look."

Luke turned to see that soft snowflakes had begun to fall. He just grinned, shaking his head at her. Lorelai smiled, her eyes twinkling in sheer delight.

"I told you – everything special happens when it snows!"

**Well that's it for now. I'm not sure where I'm going with it next, but if you have any suggestions, please write a review. Or write one just to tell me what you think so far! **


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